Titanic: The Road to Tomorrow
by MizAb
Summary: Elizabeta Héderváry is a wealthy noble woman pushed into marrying a musical prodigy Roderich Edelstein by her stepfather Sadik Adnan. To her surprise, Elizabeta's childhood friend Gilbert is also a passenger on the ill-fated 'unsinkable' ship Titanic. During their reunion, she discovers the intertwined lives of the other voyagers in both first and third class.


**Obviously, this is about the Hetalia cast crossovered(ish) with the Titanic (1997) movie. I adore that movie, and I began it because someone requested it on the Hetalia Kink Meme. This isn't an exact storyline to the 1997 movie. It's similar but not the same if you catch my drift. **

**Oh if you lovely people want to be helpful please help me with some of the Hetalia characters names. Other than the obvious ones like Alfred for America, there are some like Denmark who don't have names. I have the nameless ones up too just in case it gets confusing. So if you want to be amazing, give me some ideas along with some feedback. :D Oh and I know Romano's human name is Lovino, but I don't like it so I'm keeping it as Romano.**

Belgium- Lorelei Jacobs

Denmark-

Mama Greece- Antigone Karpusi

Norway- Lukas Bonnevik

Liechtenstein- Lily _

Netherlands- Tim Jacobs

Ukraine- Irunya

Scotland- Blaine Anderson

Ancient Rome- Maximus Decimus Meridius

**Edit: Because I hold this story very close to my heart, I am going to take my time writing this. It's not going to be updated monthly. I want this to be the very best it can be. I am very sorry about those who want me to hurry up and post chapters quickly orz**

* * *

_"Again, the false affection.  
Again, we break down inside.  
Love save the empty.  
Love save the empty, and save me."_

-Erin McCarley, _Love Save the Empty_

* * *

**Day One:**

Chaos of people and sounds surrounded the dock, but through the madness, the people a boarding the ship were in sense excited for the new adventure. Lives were being changed right then and there. Countless bodies crowded near one another as they waited in line for their turn to aboard the ship called Titanic. It was a magnificent sight. The rumors about this ship's gigantic size didn't spread lies. They were all true. Newspapers from all around Europe said it was the largest passenger steamship created to cross the Atlantic Ocean straight to America. The Irish men who worked on the ship took pride in it. But who wouldn't? The Titanic was concrete evidence of their strength and hard labor. Even the workers on the ship such as chefs or servants to the wealthy had a sense of pride as they shared their future jobs with others. Yes, the people's anticipation radiated around them as well as the dock. The Titanic promised new lives and dreams for its passengers, especially one young woman named Elizabeta Héderváry.

Elizabeta was a lucky woman. Her father was a business tycoon and supplied his wife as well as his only daughter with riches until his sudden passing of a deadly disease. Her father's death only brought a heavy sadness within the Héderváry household. And for a single mother raising a young child, it only brought more stress on Elizabeta's mother's shoulders. She knew she must remarry or start working as a seamstress to hold up their way of living.

To their luck, a man saw an opportunity to save the grief-stricken family from the poor house. His name was Sadik Adnan, and although he truly had no reason to start a relationship with Elizabeta's mother, he did anyway. They married a year after meeting one another. Elizabeta and her mother found themselves surrounded by riches unimaginable; much more than what they were use too. She got the best of everything. It didn't faze Sadik at all that a part of his money went to toys, schooling, and music lessons for a small child like Elizabeta. He knew she would come of use to him when she was old enough to be married off to another man. She would help give him status and put his name in the newspapers. He always thought ahead. It was his nature.

But what Sadik didn't anticipate was how… manly a little girl could act. Elizabeta did everything a boy did and may be even better. She climbed trees, wrestled, played in mud, you get the idea. Nothing stopped her. She was one of the boys, and no one was going to stop that. Sadik remembered one small boy in particular who caused so many problems for Elizabeta's proper ways as a woman. His name was Gilbert Weillschmidt, and Sadik was convinced the boy actually pushed Elizabeta into thinking she was a boy at some point in their play time.

Gilbert was a commoner in Sadik's world maybe ranked even lower. Elizabeta's stepfather didn't know how the two children even managed to stay playmates. Elizabeta went to the best schools money could provide. But somehow in between the small amounts of free time, they played in their own little world. They were buddies, but having a friend in a different social standing didn't sit well with Sadik. It was only a coincidence that they moved to a whole other part of Europe. They never saw each other after that. Sadik moved closer to his business in the city. Elizabeta found herself surrounded in an urban jungle with such weird creatures. It was the opposite of the vast open fields she grew up on. She truly missed her other life, even if that meant less money. Those sorts of things didn't cross a child's mind. The only thing that mattered was happiness and friends. But Sadik was the only man in her life, and there was no way of changing his mind. He was the boss and no one questioned that. So no one mentioned the situation again.

The small, mismatched family lived on in the hectic city. Elizabeta's mother taught Elizabeta how to act like a woman should. She sat in perfect posture in both their house and in public, spoke only when spoken too, and ate small portions during meals. Elizabeta was the exact opposite from when she was a child. The tomboy grew into a beautiful and polite woman, and she was blessed with riches beyond what anyone could comprehend. But if she was so lucky, why was there an ever present sadness etched into her facial expressions? Everything in her life was perfect. She was even engaged to the piano prodigy Roderich Edelstein. Sadik seemed to approve of the engagement. In fact, he was downright ecstatic about the proposal. Maybe it was because he was the one who pushed Roderich in doing the deed in the first place. Elizabeta's mother would be happy for her daughter too, if she was still with them on Earth.

The sounding of the ship's horn startled Elizabeta. She became aware of her surroundings after who knows how long she drifted into space. The servants grabbed their luggage from the lavish, black car and carried them to the stairs leading to the doorway on the side of the ship.

To her left, she saw a petite child calling for her mother. The girl looked scared to death. Elizabeta dropped her things and walked over. She asked if the young girl needed help locating her mother. The girl accepted instantly. Within a time span of calling out the child's mother's name for about two minutes, the mother came and hugged her daughter. She graciously thanked Elizabeta for helping reunite the two. She told Elizabeta that they only had one another from this trip onward. Elizabeta only smiled as the mother and daughter walked away to their docking station. The noble heard footsteps in expensive shoes stomp closer to her. She already knew who they belonged to, and she had no desire in seeing her stepfather's face right now.

"Now, now Elizabeta," Mr. Adnan said, walking closer to her and even grabbed her arm for a moment. He lowered his voice so no one near could hear not even _their_ people, "you don't have to lower yourself for other people, even for a child."

"Lower myself?" Elizabeta retracted her hand from the older man's grasp in a quick manner. She was offended by the words he spoke. "How dare you even say that. I'm doing what any good soul would do, and that was to help another in need. You don't need money for another's assistance."

"But it surely helps," Mr. Adnan shot back but mumbling to the side. Elizabeta huffed and turned her back to the older man. He did the same only he signaled someone else to come near. It was another male possibly the same age as Elizabeta. He wore glasses, and his clothing was kept up but definitely not as lavish as the others. It was obvious he didn't want to be there. His facial expression showed he would rather be doing something else, something he loved to do.

Sadik mumbled words such as "keep your fiancé in check" that rang even through the chaos around them. The words stung Roderich deep. He wasn't a man like Sadik. He was quiet and kept to himself most of the time. He'd rather stay home and play his piano. It was the only refuge he had in the world. Elizabeta looked at him with not much comfort. Not a feeling one feels with their fiancé a month before their wedding. She respected Roderich, but Sadik misunderstood that as love.

One thing that caught Elizabeta's attention was how different the two sides of social standings were. On _theirs_, the people took their time and didn't even need to be checked for bugs. However, on the commoners' side, it was utter turmoil. From the top of the stairs leading to the ship, they looked like a colony of ants hovering over a piece of food someone just dropped on the floor. Nothing she could do about it. It wasn't her job to help them.

On the dock not too far off from the Adnan family, there were two not-so-compatible friends, if you want to call them that. One was named Arthur Kirkland, and he took much satisfaction in the great Titanic leaving from England to America. He took a deep breath of the salty, sea air. It made him feel unstoppable. It was an amazing feeling for him to see "Liverpool" on the bottom of the ship's powerful name. People all over the world would see it and become aware of what his country was capable of. Arthur took a few steps toward the magnificent ship until his happiness crumbled at the sound of a Frenchman speaking.

"'ello Arzur!" The man reached his side, locking the Englishman's head in a headlock. If there was one thing Arthur couldn't stand, it was Francis Bonnefoy and his irritating French accent. The mention of anything French made Arthur go into a tantrum regardless of where he was.

"How dare you put your bloody hands on me," Arthur managed to get his head away from the Frenchman. It didn't take that much effort to get away from Francis. He was weak after all just like his escargot loving country. It took so much effort to not rip Francis's head off, seeing as Arthur remembered that there were children around. So he took a deep breath and went his merry way.

"Where are you going?" Francis asked, poking at Arthur's calm demeanor. Francis knew very well Arthur could explode at any moment.

"As far away from you as I can!"

"But you are 'eaded to ze Titanic. Don't tell me zey let you be ze captain of ze ship."

"Do you have a problem with it?"

"Oui, since you are still a punk to zis very day, you might as well lead zem to ze bottom of ze sea."

"Oh shut up!" Arthur continued his way toward the ship, stomping harder with each step. Francis didn't take this as a hint to leave him alone. He kept egging it on and on until Arthur was at a fine line of snapping his rival's neck in half.

"Mr. Kirkland?" A very timid voice called out to Arthur.

But still enraged by Francis, Arthur accidentally exploded as he answered back, "YES? WHAT IS IT?" The poor young man who was at the receiving end of the Englishman's rage was Toris Laurinaitis. He had worked with Kirkland for a while yet he was just as anxious as he was the first day on the job. He was a nervous wreck but a respectable one. Realizing his outburst, Arthur quickly apologized all the while Francis snickered in the back. "I'm so sorry, Toris. What was it you wanted?"

"I've just got word that your assistance on the Titanic is not needed."

"But—who is going to steer it?" Arthur wanted to guide the ship through the Atlantic Ocean. His country's name was on it for Christ's sake. And he would do the task very well, he might add.

"Don't worry little brother. I have this all under control," a calm drawl came from behind. Arthur instantly froze. He knew where that voice originated from. Francis noticed his friend's odd behavior and took a look back and then understood Arthur's reaction. A redheaded man made his way toward Arthur, who still refused to move from his spot, hoping his brother would walk right by him.

"What's wrong, Arthur," The Scot wrapped his arm over the young lad's shoulder, "don't you miss your older brother?"

"Of course, Blaine," Arthur answered back with the most awkward smile that was a mixture of fear and anxiety. "But you never showed any interest in the subject before."

Blaine ruffled his younger brother's hair, and a smile appeared on his face. "I'm just messing with you, Artie. I've never sailed a ship nor do I plan on doing it in the future. I found someone much more suitable for the job."

Though the Scottish man's attitude changed completely, it didn't relax Arthur in the slightest way. He was stiff and awkward, which offered Francis multiple attempts to make the Englishman's situation even more uncomfortable. But he left them as is and watched from the side. He would have another chance to get even in the future.

"Who is more experienced than I am? I love the sea more than anything. I'm a completely different person on the water," Arthur defended himself as if he was on the stand being accused of a dreadful crime.

"I know what you are capable of Artie. But this is too big of a task for my feeble, little brother to handle. The Titanic is a big name, the biggest thing to happen in a long time; therefore, it needs huge headlines to accommodate it. And I will make sure that happens. That is why I hired Maximus Decimus Meridius as the captain." Both Arthur and Francis, who wiggled his way next to his friend, gawked at the said name with eyes wide open.

"Maximus Decimus… Meridius," Arthur knew his place compared to the great Meridius, and he was a far second measured to the man. If the man stood in front of Englishman, Arthur would have bowed down to him in an instant to show his admiration to the captain. He was nicknamed the conqueror of the Mediterranean Sea, seeing as he had Roman blood running through his veins.

"Mon ami, as much as I love to tease you about every small aspect of your life, I couldn't be more serious zan I am now. You are nozeeing compared to 'im."

"For the first time in my life I agree with you git," Arthur replied in absolute defeat then looked at his older brother with a shy and reluctant face, "can I meet him?"

"Nope, sorry kid, but you have another duty to your country, and that is to steer Carpathia," the Scotsman turned Arthur's body way from the massive ship.

"But the Carpathia is just a regular ship!"

"Yes compared to Titanic but the job must be done. Francis, please make sure my brother takes his responsibility seriously on the other ship, and enjoy the ride afterwards. The trip is on me. Just make sure Artie here is doing his job."

Taken off guard, Francis had no choice but to agree to Blaine's terms on such a short notice. "Erm… sure I'll do what I can to 'elp out."

* * *

Down in a crowded pub nearby, a few men played a life changing game of poker. The smoke of cigarettes filled the room with an unbearable, foggy atmosphere. It was uncomfortable and made most of the men easily irritated. Three of the men at the table were German; however, one preferred to be called Prussian. Not that he had anything against the word; his younger brother was German. _Prussian_ was just a more accurate term. The forth and last person in the game was a very easily agitated Italian who hated the potato bastards sitting with him. He put up with the Prussian for one reason, and that was because his younger and stupid brother Feliciano was friends with Ludwig, the Prussian's little brother, who wasn't so little in body mass and intimidation. So the Italian kept his thoughts to himself. Last thing Romano wanted was the two brothers beating the crap out of him, ruining his remarkable face to attract women.

"So what do you have, Romano?" Gilbert asked his friend to his left, leaning a bit towards him.

Romano gave him a sneer at first, telling him to lean the other goddamn way. Then he said, "niente."

"Nothing? Well that isn't going to help us out now, isn't it?"

Romano's anger boiled up inside his small body. "I told you I'm not good with cards! I told you we should have went our way to the ship with Antonio and Lorelei, but NO! You had to get a beer and bet our tickets in this goddamn poker game!"

"Woah now, my Italian amigo, poker face. Poker face!"

"It's 'amico'," Romano corrected Gilbert's horrible attempt at his beloved Italian language, butchering it with Antonio's. "_Amigo_ is Spanish, and I'm Italian, dammit!"

"Tomato, toe-mato…" Gilbert brushed Romano's anger to the side.

"Don't ever lower the tomato's importance, you jerk!"

"Can we just continue with the game already," One of the other poker players intervened, "if someone is going to win the money and the Titanic tickets, we better hurry. The ship is going to leave soon."

"Of course, my good sir. What do you have?" The Prussian leaned to his right this time. The German gave a small grunt, meaning he had nothing as well. So now the fate of the game lied between Gilbert and the man sitting across the wooden table. Gilbert smirked before saying, "guess it's between you and me now."

"I highly doubt it." The man laid his cards on the table showing the rest his cards.

"Full house?" Romano gaped, already seeing the horrible fate that awaited them. He slammed his head on the table waiting for Gilbert to say the word _fold_.

"What's wrong, Romano, my little Italian sausage?"

"First off, I don't know why you and Antonio insist on that becoming my nickname. It makes NO sense. And second, we are going to lose what little change we had in our pockets and our tickets for the Titanic. Now I can't stop Antonio from making moves on Lorelei."

"Now don't get all worked up. Things will work out for both of us; I'm sure."

"How? You need either a Four of a Kind or Straight Flush…. Or even-"

"A ROYAL FLUSH!" The Prussian slammed his cards down revealing an ace, king, queen, jack, and ten all in the same suit. Romano just gaped at what his friend had said, and then excitement filled the young man's body. He cheered and high-fived his friend as he gathered the money in the middle of the table with his shaky hands. "Looks like we're going to America after all!"

Their two opponents yelled at one another in German. "Better get going soon if you want to make the trip, kids," the bartender yelled from behind the bar. "The ship's gonna leave in a few minutes."

"Shit…!" Both of them cursed, grabbing their belongings as they rushed out the pub. The two ran as if their life depended on it. They passed people of all age groups and sizes almost hitting a few along the way. As they got closer, they saw their friend Antonio looking for them.

"Antonio!" Gilbert shouted, grabbing the Spaniard's attention.

"What took you guys so long? Lorelei and I were worried about you two."

"Last minute game of poker. Won our tickets back as well as thirty bucks."

Antonio sighed. Gilbert would always be Gilbert. The three friends took their first step to what they believed was a chance to a new beginning. Gilbert had nothing to lose. He had one bag with a few clothes for the trip but other than that he was just like any other commoner. Sure, he had his younger brother Ludwig, but he was content and old enough to not need his big brother around. They'd meet each other again one of these days.

Another horn sounded. The stairways to the side of the ship were now gone and the other passengers waved good bye to the citizens down below. Farewells were being shared among various people all shapes, sizes, and ages. Some were crying while others smiled through the heartache. It was a sad end, but with a bright, new journey awaiting them, they all thought.

* * *

Elizabeta plopped her body in an empty chair of their luxurious room. She stretched her arms up to ceiling. It felt so good to relax and not have to sit up straight or give her full attention to a mindless conversation she had no interest in. Nothing says a perfect moment than being alone where no one would bother her with saying how ladies don't do this and that. She wished this moment would last longer, but it didn't. She heard the doorknob turn. Elizabeta jumped up to the 'proper' way of sitting in a chair. She turned her head slightly to see who came in the room. To her relief, it was only Roderich, her fiancé.

"Oh Roderich, you scared me," Elizabeta said a bit out of breath.

"I'm very sorry, Elizabeta. I only wanted to see if you adjusted to your room," he replied so politely.

"I am." She gave an empty smile. It was the same conversation between them. They were always so reluctant to be closer to one another. It was frustrating, she thought. It made Elizabeta want to scream or just shake some life into him. The sad thing was that there was a wonderful man deep down. He just never showed it to anyone, only through his beautiful music. That was the one thing that kept Elizabeta from thinking Roderich was another mindless rich man.

"Mr. Adnan has requested both of you in the other room," one of the maids said as she peaked her head through the small opening of the door.

"Thank you, Anne," Roderich and Elizabeta said in unison. Both looked at one another and back at the other woman. It was an embarrassing moment for both of them. "We will be there soon. That will be all," Roderich said alone this time.

Elizabeta's fiancé walked up before her and gave her his hand to help her up. She took it with a small smile that she wished was genuine due to Roderich's kindness. He thought she was another weak woman, Elizabeta thought in the back of her mind. But she was far from it. She was just struggling to get out of her cage.

The couple walked to Sadik, who sat on the leather couch in the other extravagant room. The servants carried their luggage to the rooms by Sadik's orders. Elizabeta kept herself from rolling her eyes in front of the man. She could imagine him saying, 'it was a servant's job so it should be done by a servant.' The other man took one last swig of his whiskey. Then he began to talk.

"I managed to get Mr. Honda, the builder of the ship, to eat lunch with us," he said as a servant filled his empty glass with more wine. "Both of you must look your best, especially you Elizabeta. You must impress the men. And Roderich, don't wear those lowly clothes anymore. You are going to make us look cheap."

Elizabeta didn't hear the rest of what Sadik had to say to Roderich. She couldn't get what he said about her out of her mind. "Excuse me, Mr. Sadik, but why must I look presentable to any other man other than my future husband?" Elizabeta knew she caught Sadik off-guard with the question and secretly took pride in herself for doing so. The Austrian looked at the carpet not wanting to see Mr. Adnan explode if he did.

Sadik got up from his seat and took a few strides toward his stepdaughter. He answered, "You are the wife. It's your job to attract the attention of others so they can walk over and speak to Mr. Edelstein. You'd be surprised how many businesses get started because of that."

The smirk on her stepfather's face disgusted Elizabeta. She pursued her lips, seeing as how she had no comeback. She walked toward her room to get prepare herself for dinner.

* * *

On the other side of the Atlantic, a young man slept in his very messy apartment in New York. His name was Alfred F. Jones. Sure, he had his friends from Europe coming over, but it felt so nice underneath the warm blankets that protected him from the cold. He couldn't bear the thought of moving in order to clean up his place for people who would arrive in four days. He hadn't even found the energy to open up the windows for fresh air. He just left the blinds closed, which made the area gloomier than usual. Luckily, he had an amazing brother who would do all the work for him because he was that awesome.

The American heard shuffling of feet near him. Alfred was slowly coming in and out of consciousness. He was finally waking up but not in his favor. Alfred opened one eye and saw his brother Matthew picking up old papers and other pieces of junk on the floor, which caught Alfred off guard. He didn't even hear him enter his place. He wasn't expecting Matthew to be in New York for another few hours.

Still half asleep Alfred sat up on his couch with his bottom half covered with his brown blanket while his naked top half was exposed to the cold air. He quickly pulled the blanket over his shoulders.

"Oh good Alfred you're up. You can help me pick up your apartment up now."

"Hey bro, it looks like you got everything under control. I'll keep an eye out from where I am," Alfred replied through chattering teeth.

"I'm not going to clean your place again. Last time you pretended to be sick and stayed in the bathroom all day."

"Hey, I was!" He defended, "I had food poisoning from that gross pizza. It was from that one pizzeria across the street. I should write a strongly worded letter or something. Whatever, I'll just stick to burgers the rest of my life."

"Stop making up stories and help me," Matthew wasn't used to raising his voice. Since Matthew heard the ruffling of blankets, the Canadian knew he won the small quarrel. Alfred slipped into one of his dirty shirts that hadn't been washed for God knows how long.

They cleaned in a silence that was soon interrupted by Alfred. "So how's it in Canada? How's your school so far?"

"Good… good."

"Did ya make any frieeeeeeends? Did ya meet anyooooone?" Alfred drawled a bit on his words. The reason why he did this was because he knew it would annoy his brother and get answers out of him faster. He only pried because he loved his little brother. And seeing Matthew's embarrassed face was always a plus. Matt was like clockwork. He already began to blush a deep red. Alfred was right! "So who is she? What's her naaaame?"

"Irunya," Matt said in a soft spoken tone. "She came from Ukraine. She's amazing."

"Aw, Mattie you're growing up!" Alfred put his brother in a tight headlock much to Matthew's dislike. "What does she look like? What pick up line did you use? C'mon tell me everything."

"We haven't exactly talked… yet."

"But Mattie… Isn't this your second semester at your school? You better hurry up before someone steals her away. It doesn't take weeks to muster up the courage to start a real audible connection."

"I know, but I hear she has a crazy brother, and if anyone messes with him answers to their psychotic sister."

"Look if you don't talk to her, I will personally fly to Canada, find you and her, and make you two talk." Alfred punched his brother in the arm. It was a friendly punch; however, it hurt and was bound to leave a bruise. Al laughed when he saw Matt rub his arm. He didn't know how he ended up with such a wimpy brother. It was another typical day with his brother Alfred, but Matthew wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

The incomplete Adnan family plus Roderich Edelstein sat down with Kiku Honda for a late lunch. Elizabeta noticed how modest and reserved Mr. Honda was, even when there were moments when he could have boasted to the extreme about certain topics such as the Titanic. He was the ship's builder after all. He knew everything about his grand achievement.

In the middle of their conversation, a redheaded man named Blaine Anderson came and invaded their lunch. His speech and attitude was the exact opposite of Mr. Honda's. He reeked of arrogance and brandy. Everything Mr. Anderson said only inflated his ego. It repulsed Elizabeta to no end. He was almost as bad as her stepfather. Maybe even worse. Speaking of which, Mr. Adnan, who sat the opposite head of the table of Mr. Anderson, helped with the other man's growing self-image

Mr. Honda looked at his clean plate in front of him. This wasn't his conversation or company to be involved in. He waited for the others to acknowledge his presence or ask him a question concerning the ship. As for Roderich, his attention to the conversation left a long time ago. He listened to the musicians in the dining area who provided sweet music for the people. He listened to each string played on the violins. Roderich's right arm was slowly moving back and forth as if he were conducting the men himself. It fascinated Elizabeta, making her respect her fiancé a bit more.

"Elizabeta dear…" Mr. Adnan's voice brought Elizabeta back to reality. She hadn't the slightest idea how long she drifted off. She probably brought her stepfather's ego down since that isn't how a lady is suppose to act.

"Yes…?"

"Just bringing you back to us, love," Sadik said, causing chills to go down Elizabeta's back. She hated when he called her _love_. It sounded dead and cold whenever he said the word.

A waiter came by their table about to take their orders. Mr. Anderson and Honda told the waiter what food they wanted. It came down to Mr. Adnan. "—the steak, medium. And what about you, Roderich? What will you two have?"

What did he just say? You two? Was her opinion clumped with Roderich's? She held in her anger. But it was hard. She wanted to explode right then and there, but she knew better. In truth, Elizabeta had two options. One, she could hold it in and let it bother her all day. Or second, she could get up and leave just for a moment of peace instead of putting up with these conceited people.

So Elizabeta stood up. She took the second option. "Excuse me, I need some fresh air." Sadik heard the hidden harsh tone in her voice as she spoke. The rest of the men at the table stood up as Elizabeta walked away. All of them except Sadik, who had no desire in showing respect for a woman who disrespected him.

* * *

_"It's only physically _  
_ but you know that you will be on my mind_  
_ Twenty-four hours at a time_  
_ Cause in my eyes, you were mine_

_ No matter where you go, I won't be very far_  
_ Cause in my head I'll be right there where you are_  
_ Cause love has no distance baby_  
_ Love, love has no distance baby_  
_ No, not when it comes to you and me_

_[...]  
_

_So I'm going through these boxes, my life's gone off track_  
_ It's been three years, she hasn't written back_  
_ But in my eyes, she's still mine_  
_ And I know it sounds so stupid to be waiting this long_  
_ But I'm still in love, and I know I'm not wrong_  
_ Cause in my eyes, she was mine."_

-AJ Rafael ft. Jesse Barrera, _"She Was Mine"_

* * *

**The First Night:**

It was the middle of the afternoon- more towards the day ending- and the sky already showed the beginning stages of twilight. Light shades of orange began to appear. The fluffy clouds in the sky added a deeper almost richer shade of orange. The bright orb in the sky leaned toward the West already. However, three men paid no attention to the changing day whatsoever. Gilbert was too caught up in telling Antonio his amazing card game earlier that day. Romano sat in between the two, rolling his eyes, already noticing the plot holes in Gilbert's story. It was obvious that Gilbert was over exaggerating the entire story, but to no one's surprise, Antonio bought it and was so consumed in it. The Spanish man didn't even notice his girlfriend sit next to him. Romano just mumbled insults to himself as he scribbled into his sketchbook that he carried everywhere with him, drawing other passengers aboard the Titanic.

"—and that's how I won the game!" The Prussian exclaimed while Antonio clapped for his friend's victory.

"¡Fantástico! You truly are amazing, mi amigo!" Spain only inflated Gilbert's ego more than it already was.

"Oh please," Romano couldn't take any more of it, "that's not how it went."

"Okay so I added in the bar fight. Big deal. Way to ruin a good story, Romano."

"Maybe if you would stop over exaggerating each story you tell, I wouldn't have to burst your bubble every time!"

"Seriously, I don't get how you and Feliciano are even brothers," Gilbert slumped back in his seat next to Romano. "You two are completely different. It's like you're not even related."

"Don't compare my brother to me! He's an idiot!"

"While you're what? An Italian with a piss poor attitude and bad mouth?" Both Antonio and Gilbert laughed at the sad but true comment. Lorelei elbowed Antonio in the arm for laughing at his friend. The Spaniard noticed his girlfriend's sour face and immediately stopped.

"Geeze Lorelei, I never realize how bad you had Antonio under your command," Gilbert snickered.

Lorelei scoffed then said, "At least he has a woman in his life unlike you, Gilbert. Besides, I don't hear any complaints from Antonio, do you?"

The remark stung hard but not as much as when Antonio leaned toward Lorelei for a quick kiss on the lips. Gilbert had a woman in his life once, but that was a long time ago. It was strange; it had been over ten years yet those greens eyes still haunted him to this very day.

Antonio looked over Romano's shoulder, trying to get a good look at his friend's drawing. Romano hid it from him quickly. The stupid jerk never got the hint. From what little time the Italian gave him, Antonio noticed how amazing Romano's art style had gotten.

"Oy, Romano, did you get lessons? I don't remember you ever drawing that well before." Romano didn't answer. If Spain found out his brother Feliciano taught him, he wouldn't let it go.

"Wow! They really are wonderful, Romano! Can you draw me?" Lorelei popped in the conversation. Romano got red in the face from everyone's sudden attention.

"Feliciano taught him," Gilbert stated. The Italian shot him the evilest glance his face could make. Gilbert noticed it but wasn't even fazed by it. "You ruined my story. I got you back. Tough luck, kid."

The Prussian took out his box of cigarettes and lit one. He wasn't addicted to smoking, but he always managed to use one when he was in a deep thought. The others knew it was best not to disturb him. The sounds of their laughter subsided, leaving the waves moving down below to replace them.

Gilbert looked around at the rest of the passengers gazing out at the open ocean. Thought, it was difficult. There was a constant glare of the sun around them that never seemed to fade away. It caused a bit of a problem for him to get a good, clear look at the travelers' faces. However, it didn't take that much to figure out they were all like him with nothing to lose. Only the thought of having a fresh start in America kept them going. Gilbert's eyes wondered to other bodies until one caught his attention. It was a young woman probably in her early twenties stomping her way to the rail. It looked as though she wanted to throw something at a wall with all her might as though that would solve all her problems.

The clouds shifted slowly when Gilbert tried to identify the woman in the distance. Then like a slight chance of fate, a cloud completely engulfed the sun's rays, leaving the people down below a bit dumbstruck about the sudden shade. It gave Gilbert a moment to see the woman's identity. His red eyes widened when he found her to be his childhood friend Elizabeta. His heart jumped in his chest as he got up from his butt. His friends saw his odd behavior immediately.

"Gilbert? You okay?" One of them asked. Gilbert didn't know who it was who asked; his attention was on Elizabeta the entire time.

Lorelei wondered what Gilbert was looking at. She wasn't really close to him. They only met through Antonio. During all their meetings, they would always find a way to bicker. They always tried to bring each other down with sly comments and comebacks. The blonde didn't want to dislike Gilbert so quickly. He was a nice guy; she'd give him that, but he just seemed as though he was searching or trying to cover up something from his past. Now when she looked at him, it looked as though he had found that something. She turned her head toward the direction Gilbert face and noticed a lone brunette standing near the railing. It was obvious that was catching Gilbert's eye. So that must be it, Lorelei thought.

To her left, both Antonio and Romano were yelling out rude remarks to grab his attention. They didn't see what she saw. Lorelei used her hand to grab Antonio's jaw and move his head to face the woman in the distance. He stopped at once and did the same thing with Romano. They were both embarrassed to say the least. Hopefully, no one heard what they were saying to Gilbert moments before.

"Elizabeta…" He finally spoke in awe, "She's here. She's really here…" He had a mixture of both excitement and anxiety. Should he run up to her and catch up on old times? Or just leave her be? She had to have moved on from all those years ago. Who would have remembered a runt like him anyway? Elizabeta probably had suitors from all around Europe—no the world—asking for her hand in marriage. A spark of jealously ran through Gilbert's veins. The thought angered him.

"Who is Elizabeta, Gilbert?" Lorelei asked.

"My friend from when I was a kid. God—it must be—what? Over ten years since she moved away." An awkward smile came upon Gilbert's lips. It wasn't something that happened often with him. He smirked or goofed off. But this… this was another side of him.

A man twice her age came behind as he grabbed her arm. He was not in the mood for her childish games and neither was she. Even from afar, it was apparent Elizabeta stared the man down with so much hatred.

"Who's that man? Her husband?" Spain asked, trying to get information out of the silent Gilbert.

"No, that's her stepdad. Not the nicest man around." The memories of Sadik yelling out Elizabeta's name as though it belonged to a common mongrel on the street still stung. He only did it when Elizabeta's mom was out doing errands in the city. The man hadn't changed after all this time. Although his voice was much lower so no one around them could hear their conversation, Gilbert could still make out the words exchanged between the two. It only fueled his anger towards the man.

Sadik left Elizabeta where he found her. Even from their distance, all of Gilbert's friends saw the hurt and pain the young woman held in. Then, a man around her age with glasses came to her side. He offered her a handkerchief, which she gratefully accepted before following him back to where they both were previously.

Lorelei, who understood the situation immediately, turned to Gilbert and noticed the pain all over his facial expression. Seeing his childhood friend with another man must have been a total slap in the face. After a few moments of realization, Antonio as well as Romano felt the heaviness in the atmosphere radiating from Gilbert.

"Who was that, Gilbert?" Romano built up the courage to ask what his other two friends dreaded to. He didn't do it out of spite or to deepen the wound but to add some relief to Gilbert.

Romano's good intention didn't ease the ache in his chest, however. Yet Gilbert found some strength to answer Romano's question with, "a very lucky man." And like that, the subject was never mentioned between the four again.

* * *

The rest of the night became extremely uncomfortable for Gilbert's friends after their conversation about Elizabeta ended. Even in the chaos of dancing, booze, and music, Gilbert managed to be the only one who didn't enjoy his surroundings. Gilbert was there with them with the others in third class, but his mind wondered off far beyond what they could comprehend. He just sat in his seat drinking his beer without saying a word. It was strange seeing Gilbert like this. It wasn't right. Gilbert, no matter how annoying or arrogant he got, was meant to be loud and obnoxious. It was in his nature, and everyone he knew accepted and loved him for that. Seeing him so quiet and distant frightened them, especially Antonio and even Romano, who knew of his past with drinking. No, Gilbert wasn't an alcoholic, but his father was. He wasn't the nicest man around from what Gilbert informed Antonio. He used to beat Gilbert and his mother during his binges and even his little brother Ludwig. Finally, when he was old enough to defend himself properly, Gilbert packed up his belongings as well as his mother and Ludwig and left his father's out of control lifestyle.

Antonio looked at Gilbert as he gulped down another mug of beer. The look of distress indicated Gilbert of his friend's concern.

"Don't worry," Gilbert said as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "I know my limit."

Gilbert's words didn't ease his Spanish friend of any worry, but Antonio knew with all his heart that Gilbert was no monster. No. Not even close. However, drowning out unwanted noises and feelings was not a good reason to drink either. From the looks of it, Gilbert could drink the entire ship's supply of beer, but Antonio knew how powerful love was and could be, and he knew that not even the world's supply of the strongest booze wouldn't erase Elizabeta from Gilbert's mind. The look in the Prussian's eyes earlier confirmed that much for Antonio. Gilbert was in love. Ridiculous, annoying, inconvenient, love. Gilbert was just too stubborn to realize it.

Antonio smirked to himself, looking down to not meet anyone's eyes. Here, Gilbert gave him such a hard time when he would just glance at Lorelei in a loving way. Oh well, Antonio would have to make a note about rubbing it in his face on another and more appropriate day. Right now, the more important thing was just getting through the night.

However, Antonio hadn't the slightest clue that among those 2,223 passengers on the ship another one masked her true feelings underneath an empty smile. Elizabeta laid in her bed, thinking about how her days from then on were scheduled beforehand by a man she disliked very much. The life she wanted or dreamt of would never exist as long as Sadiq was there to boss her around. She would live the rest of her days as an empty shell, forever following the next command given to her. Elizabeta allowed herself to be in this position; she admitted that easily, and now she must live with the consequences from here on out. But it couldn't be that bad, right?

Roderich never beat or cheated on her. He was a good man and never took advantage of her. But how long would it take for Elizabeta to finally crack? How many years into the marriage or children would it take for her to stand up and take charge of her life? The carefree girl Elizabeta once was disappeared a long time ago. And she regretted admitting that with every fiber of her body.

And so, with those disturbing thoughts roaming through her mind, Elizabeta drifted to sleep, longing for something to come by in her miserable life to rid her of this eternal loneliness.

All the while, she and the other 2,222 souls were completely unaware of the ill-fated future that God had in store for them on the doomed ship Titanic.

* * *

**So yes, feedback, names, questions, comments, anything really. Just, ya know, if you want to be a cool cat like that.**


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